Art/Act: celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, holiday

Art/Act: celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, holiday
This post on Disabled Greens News and discussion: Art/Act: celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, holiday:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DisabledGreensNews/message/9024

This petition on change.org:

http://uspoverty.change.org/petitions/view/art_act_celebrate_dr_ml_king_jr_s_holiday

In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday and holiday, let’s Art/Act, create, advocate, write, paint, draw, et al, with advocacy and art in mind, or, even better, in heart.  Here’s a couple twigs of poetree to start us off:

A Weaver Of Life

Happy Birthday
To a student of Christ’s and Ghandi’s.
One who had a dream that someday
We’d live in the promised land and
Took us by the hand.
Yet, we won’t get there
If you don’t break your chains,
Refusing to be a pawn in their games.
We can’t turn our back to those
Unchosen, on the outside or in,
Simply ’cause they can’t afford.
We can bring them with us, if we,
Resisting, everyday, their common
Delusions, not be a link in that chain.
The chains that keep our humanities
Growth arrested, our potentials
Unexplored; our thoughts,
Feelings, and deeds flawed.
If you don’t refuse
To be the chains that bind you,
We’ll never break the chain.
The chain that murders.
The chain of delusions.
The chain of death.

YOU CAN

Talk the talk, walk the walk, and even
Be the be, but, if you don’t vote the vote,
You won’t ever be livin’ in a democracy!

james m nordlund, reality

 
 
So, below is some new advocacy to start with, and below that, many more recent actions you can do; as many or as few as you’d like- remember, write on:

Help Haiti Rebuild with Rights

One year ago, Haiti was ravaged by a devastating earthquake that killed more than 230,000 people and destroyed the homes and families of millions more. Since then, you and many others have stepped forward to give and advocate for relief funding, push for temporary protected status for Haitian immigrants in the U.S., and persuade the IMF to drop Haiti’s $268 million debt once and for all.  But while the support of the international community has saved many lives, a year later, conditions in Haiti are still perilous, with over 3,400 more people dead from a cholera outbreak, most of the rubble not cleared, and still close to a million people left without permanent housing. 

Click here to ask our government to stand by the Haitian people as they rebuild their country and their lives.

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/625/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5521
With thousands of NGOs and many governments focusing on relief and reconstruction, more should have been done by now. But a lack of Haitian voices in the process has resulted in much less than if they had been more included. On this anniversary, we need to remind our government they need to really listen to and work with Haitian civil society and government as they move forward.

While continuing to send generous and more effective aid to Haiti, the Obama administration could also help thousands of Haitian migrants by easing immigration rules. 55,000 family members of Haitians in the United States had been approved for visas prior to the earthquake, but because of a U.S. backlog in admitting approved visa-holders, they still could face more than four years of waiting in Haiti, leaving them in a precarious limbo.   The administration could cut the red tape and admit them immediately, but they will only do it if we push them to.  The administration could also reverse the decision to resume deportations of Haitians with criminal convictions given the emergency conditions in Haiti. These people will be deported to detention centers where the cholera epidemic could claim their lives.

So please join us in asking our government to do all they can to support the Haitian people today.

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/625/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5521

This morning our partners at American Jewish World Service and Catholic Relief Services held an interfaith event in Congress to reflect on the tragedy and offer prayers for the Haitian people during this difficult time. Wherever you are today, we hope you’ll join us in offering both your thoughts and actions of support to the millions of people in Haiti as they continue on their hard journey to recovery.

Best,

The LAWG Team
(Lisa, Mavis, Jenny, Paulo, Vanessa, Ben, and Emily)
 
http://www.lawg.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40&Itemid=87

Latin America Working Group
424 C Street NE, Washington, DC 20002     Phone: (202) 546-7010 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (202) 546-7010      end_of_the_skype_highlighting     Email: lawg@lawg.org

Help Haiti in everyway (updated regularly)   🙂

http://globalhealth.change.org/actions/view/help_haiti_in_everyway
Some of more recent related actions on Change.org, the urls:

Amend the Constitution for all women, etc..:

http://womensrights.change.org/petitions/view/amend_the_constitution_for_all_women_etc
Improving Literacy Through School Libraries kept open:

http://education.change.org/petitions/view/improving_literacy_through_school_libraries_kept_open
World AIDS Day Act:

http://humantrafficking.change.org/petitions/view/world_aids_day_act
Good Women’s History Month, Act for healthcare:

http://womensrights.change.org/petitions/view/good_womens_history_month_act_for_healthcare
Act for women?:

http://womensrights.change.org/petitions/view/act_for_women
Black History Month:

http://uspoverty.change.org/petitions/view/black_history_month
Act/Art: New Year’s poetree:

http://womensrights.change.org/petitions/view/actart_new_years_poetree 
art, post/discuss poem 🙂

http://socialentrepreneurship.change.org/petitions/view/art_postdiscuss_poem
Opportunity / Teachers:

http://education.change.org/petitions/view/opportunity_teachers
Art/Act For Poetry Month :

http://socialentrepreneurship.change.org/petitions/view/artact_for_poetry_month
Earth Day Coin Drop 🙂

http://globalwarming.change.org/petitions/view/earth_day_coin_drop
Valentine Day Coin Drop 🙂

http://womensrights.change.org/petitions/view/valentine_day_coin_drop
Thanksgiving Coin Drop:

http://uspoverty.change.org/petitions/view/thanksgiving_coin_drop
Learn from writers:

http://education.change.org/petitions/view/learn_from_writers
see film + advocate:

http://socialentrepreneurship.change.org/petitions/view/see_film_advocate
“…Sav(ing) Us”:

http://education.change.org/petitions/view/saving_us
JABULANI against HIV/AIDS:

http://humanrights.change.org/petitions/view/jabulani_against_hivaids
Arts and Activism:

http://socialentrepreneurship.change.org/petitions/view/arts_and_activism
ART FOR CHANGE:

http://immigration.change.org/petitions/view/art_for_change
music rebuilding lives:

http://socialentrepreneurship.change.org/petitions/view/music_rebuilding_lives
free speech film:

http://education.change.org/petitions/view/free_speech_film
got milk?:

http://gayrights.change.org/petitions/view/got_milk
new media:

http://socialentrepreneurship.change.org/petitions/view/new_media
Read Diverse:

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/read_diverse
Voices:

http://humantrafficking.change.org/petitions/view/voices
History of Women Month:

http://humantrafficking.change.org/petitions/view/history_of_women_month
Wisdom of Native America:

http://socialentrepreneurship.change.org/petitions/view/wisdom_of_native_america
Act Womens History Month    🙂

http://globalhealth.change.org/petitions/view/act_womens_history_month

Intn’l Womens Day Actions:

http://humanrights.change.org/petitions/view/intnl_womens_day_actions
Womens History Month Acts:

http://womensrights.change.org/petitions/view/womens_history_month_acts
Related action on Disabled Greens News and Discussion, the url:

Art/Act: Good Poetry Month, Write On:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DisabledGreensNews/message/8537

Some of the groups I moderate, etc.:
Disabled Greens News + discussion:
http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/DisabledGreensNews/
Abuse in Therapy:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AbuseinTherapy  
Diffabled, MH, related issues, advocacy + professionals:
http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/Diffabled_MentalHealth_Action  
reality’s: Myspace page, blog:
http://myspace.com/jamesmnordlund   
Yahoo webhostsite w. clickable linx:
http://thevolutionaries.com/home  and:
http://thevolutionaries.com/index.html 
Windows Live Space:
http://jamesmnordlundreality.spaces.live.com/default.aspx?owner=1&wa=wsignin1.0  
Actions on change.org:
http://www.change.org/profile/189788/petitions
Yahoo blog:
http://profiles.yahoo.com/blog/7V7NV7WJVGJI2MIJRHWDZ3MM2Q
Poets / Human Rights:
http://groups.google.com/group/Poets-for-Human-Rights/web/james-m-nordlund-reality-twigs-of-poetree-pour-vous 
Poets / Human Rights:
http://poetsforhumanrights.ning.com/profile/reality  
poets 4 human rights:
http://groups.google.com/group/poets-4-human-rights
poetrytalk:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/poetrytalk 
Prison Abuse Social Network:
http://sdicks4msnetwork.ning.com/profile/realiteee

Thanx for all you do, and Good Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday to you all.  Ciao, for now.

reality